Woman's Rank Badge with Wild Goose
Unknown Artist
late 18th–early 19th century
Medium
Silk on silk
Dimensions
8 3/4 x 9 1/4 in. (22.23 x 23.50 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William Christian Paul, 1929
Accession Number
30.75.901
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Woman's Rank Badge with Wild Goose, crafted in silk on silk during China's Qing dynasty (late 18th– 19th century), the intricate world of imperial textiles. Worn by the wives of civil officials, these embroidered squares—known as *biao*—were essential to formal attire, prominently displayed on robes to signify rank and status. The wild goose motif, rendered in vibrant threads, denoted the seventh rank, a precise symbol within the rigid Qing hierarchy that governed everything from court ceremonies to family prestige. The badge's small size (8 3/4 x 9 1/4 in.) belies its technica...